Modi gives new spin to self-reliance mantra: Plug and Play

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address of the 95th annual plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) through video conferencing in New Delhi on June 11. Referring to the war against the COVID-19 Pandemic, PM Modi underlined that India is putting up a brave front along with the entire world. He said the country is also facing various other problems arising out of disasters like locust attacks, hailstorms, oil rig fires, a series of mini earthquakes and two cyclones, but that the nation is fighting these problems in unison.

Mr Modi added that such difficult times have made India more resolute. He said that determination, will power and unity are the strength of the nation which makes the country to fight all the crises. He said that the crisis provides us with an opportunity to turn it into a turning point to build a self- reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat).

Mr Modi said self-reliance has been an aspiration of India for years. “Now it is time to make each village, district of the country self-reliant,” he said and called for pulling the Indian economy out of ‘command and control’ mode and taking it towards ‘plug and play’ mode. He said it is time for bold decisions &bold investments, to prepare a globally competitive domestic supply chain and not for conservative approaches. He was listing the sectors in which India should attain Aatma Nirbhar. The Prime Minister said “Goal of self-reliance has been paramount in the policy and practice of the country and now the Corona pandemic has taught us a lesson on how to speed it up. “It is from this lesson – Aatma Nirbhar Bharat campaign has started,” he said.

Mr. Modi said, we must all work towards making India an exporter of all products which it is currently forced to import. Appreciating the efforts of small traders, he said that when we buy local produce from them, we are not just paying them for their goods and services, but are rewarding their contributions. Quoting Swami Vivekananda that ‘The simplest method to be worked upon at present is to induce Indians to
use their own produce and get markets for Indian products in other countries,’ he said that this path shown bySwami Vivekananda is an inspiration for India in post-COVID world.
PM Modi listed the major reforms announced under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat campaign like expanding the scope of definition of MSMEs, arranging special funds to support MSMEs, decision related to IBC, creation of Project Development Cells for fast tracking of investments. Hailing the recent policy decisions taken in the field of agriculture, Mr Modi said that the agricultural economy has been liberated from years of restrictions. Now the farmers of India have the freedom to sell their product, their produce anywhere in the country.
North East an hub for Organic farming. He added that the government’s current cluster based approach to local produce will provide opportunity for all. Clusters associated with these will be developed in the districts, blocks in which they are born. He said: “Along with this, clusters will also be made for Bamboo and Organic Products. Like Sikkim, the entire North East can become a huge hub for organic farming.” He added that organic farming can become a huge movement in the North East, if it is made a global identity and dominates the global market.

Hailing the recent policy decisions taken in the field of agriculture, Mr Modi said that the agricultural economy has been liberated from years of restrictions. Now the farmers of India have the freedom to sell their product, their produce anywhere in the country. He added that the government’s current cluster based approach to local produce will provide opportunity for all. Clusters associated with these will be developed in the districts, blocks in which they are born. Along with his clusters will also be made for Bamboo and Organic Products. Like Sikkim, the entire North East can become a huge hub for organic farming.” He added that organic farming can become a huge movement in the North East, if it is made a global identity and dominates the global market.

Mr Modi called for reviving the historical superiority of Bengal in manufacturing. Taking inspiration from “What Bengal thinks today, India Thinks Tomorrow” PM urged the industry to move forward. He further said that People, Planet and Profit are interlinked to each other. All three can simultaneously flourish and co-exist. To elaborate further he gave an example of the reduction in price of LED bulbs compared to 6 years ago, which had led to savings of about Rs 19 thousand crores in electricity bills every year. That is, Profit for both people and the planet. He also said that other schemes and decisions of the government in the last 5-6 years, have been based on the concept of people, planet and profits. He also highlighted how people benefit from using waterways, how it reduces the cost of Logistics and that the planet
also benefits from less fuel burn.

He cited another example, the campaign to free the country from single use plastic. He said that it will benefit West Bengal by furthering the Jute business. He urged the industry to take advantage of the opportunity further. He also said that approaches of People Centric, People Driven and Planet Friendly Development have now become a part of Governance in the country. “Our Technological Interventions are also compatible with the idea of People, Planet and Profit.”

Mr Modi said that Banking services have become Touchless, Contactless, Cashless and works 24 x 7 through UPI. Transactions from BHIM APP are now creating new records. Rupay card is now becoming the favorite card of the poor, farmers, middle class and every section of the country. He urged the use of Rupay Cards for creating a self-reliant India. He said that now the banking services in the country have also reached the have not. He said it has been made possible to deliver the necessary support to millions of beneficiaries
without leakage through DBT, JAM (Jandhan Aadhaar Mobile).

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